Clark County Today News

Grant Johnson Jr., an 18-year-old Washougal High School graduate, died Monday after a rapidly advancing bacterial infection. Friends and coaches remembered him as someone who could turn any bad situation around just by being present. A community vigil drew family, classmates, and coaches, and a GoFundMe for his family has already raised more than $17,000 toward a $30,000 goal. https://www.clarkcou...

Sarah Mittelman, a candidate for the 49th Legislative District, argues that Washington's approach to homelessness, addiction, and poverty ignores its deepest root cause — early childhood trauma and disrupted attachment. By the time intervention occurs, she writes, the developmental damage is often already done. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-not-all-harm-leaves-bruises/ #ChildWelf...

Vancouver resident Wynn Grcich says Banfield Pet Hospital's Wellness Plan contract required her to keep paying $62.95 a month after her dog died — all the way through September. She's notified state Reps. John Ley and Stephanie McClintock and is calling for consumer protection reform. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-my-fee-is-62-95-a-month-for-a-dead-dog/ #BanfieldPetHospital #PetI...

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson's annual salary hits $234,275 after a 7% raise Wednesday — his second consecutive year of double-digit increases. State lawmakers now earn $72,494, about $10,000 more than two years ago. A citizen commission, not politicians, set the new pay schedule. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/washington-governor-ag-and-state-lawmakers-get-7-pay-hikes/ #WashingtonState #Bob...

Clark County communities are marking America's 250th birthday with parades, fireworks, and festivals from July 3–5. Fort Vancouver hosts a free all-day celebration, Battle Ground commemorates its own 75th anniversary, and Ridgefield, Yacolt, Camas, Washougal, and Woodland all have events lined up. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/america250-celebrations-set-to-fill-southwest-washington-with-p...

Camas resident Tony Teso revisits a debate as old as American democracy itself — should elected officials follow constituent wishes or exercise independent judgment? Drawing on Burke's 1774 Bristol speech and Hannah Pitkin's analysis of representation, Teso maps the trustee-delegate tension that still shapes every legislative vote. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-1776-a-democratic-...

In a 4-1 vote, the Clark County Council advanced a resolution — 95 percent written by the city of Vancouver — asking the IBR to extend light rail to Library Square. Councilor Michelle Belkot, the lone dissenting vote, reminded colleagues the county is still officially on record opposing light rail without a voter-approved advisory vote. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/clark-county-council-fo...

Built in 1876 — the same year as America's centennial — the Cedar Creek Grist Mill near Woodland has stood for 150 years thanks to volunteers like John Clapp, who spent weekends rebuilding the flume and restoring the structure while working full-time jobs. Clapp calls it a gift to everybody. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/for-150-years-cedar-creek-grist-mill-has-kept-history-and-community...

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington is serving free lunch and snacks to any child 18 and under at six Vancouver-area sites this summer — no registration, membership, or fees required. The program runs through August 15 at most locations, funded by the USDA. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/youth/boys-girls-clubs-of-southwest-washington-offers-free-summer-meals-at-six-vancouver-locations/ #B...

Engineer Bob Ortblad sent Washington and Oregon's state safety engineers a formal request for a professional opinion on IBR bridge safety — and received zero response. He argues the proposed Vancouver approach features a tight S-curve on a -3% north-facing grade prone to black ice, reversed ramp grades, and 50mph crosswind exposure seven months a year. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/lett...

Policy Analyst Sam Cardwell of the Mountain States Policy Center traces the roots of America's constitutional republic — from the failures of Athenian democracy to the Reign of Terror — and asks whether today's citizens are doing enough to preserve what the founders built. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-america-250-a-republic-if-we-can-keep-it/ #America250 #Constitution #Republic...

Six justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, ruled that Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship violated the 14th Amendment — reaffirming 128 years of constitutional precedent. Three conservative justices dissented. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown was among the first to challenge the order in January 2025. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/us-supreme-court-upho...

Lars Larson calls the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling a threat to Social Security, Medicare, and the meaning of American citizenship itself — warning that birthright tourism will explode and reshape the country within decades. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-a-thousand-little-anchor-babies-are-popping-out-of-illegal-aliens-every-day-in-america/ #BirthrightCitizenship...

Andrew Guerrero, a 20-year-old active-duty military member, faces six counts of Rape of a Child in the second degree and two counts of first-degree Trafficking after Vancouver Police found two teen girls — ages 13 and 16 — living in his hotel room. Guerrero allegedly met the victims on social media. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-police-arrest-male-for-sex-crimes-against-teens/ #V...

Clark County auditor candidate Eileen Quiring O'Brien argues that civic organizations — including the League of Women Voters of Clark County — have redefined partisan positions as "defending democracy," undermining the strict neutrality that once earned them public trust. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-words-matter-in-our-local-elections/ #Opinion #ClarkCounty #LocalElections #Le...

Laurel Smith, the unopposed candidate for Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, is the subject of a disqualification motion after disclosing she began dating Vancouver Police Sgt. James Dewey — a lead investigator she personally examined under oath on May 20 — just two weeks before reassigning his cases. A hearing is set for July 8 before Judge Robert A. Lewis. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/l...

Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance breaks down why the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling upholding transgender athlete bans in Idaho and West Virginia changes nothing for Washington State — and why Initiative IL26-638 may be the only path forward for girls' sports advocates here. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-dont-expect-bans-on-trans-athletes-in-girls-sports-in-wa-even-with-scotus-ru...

Vancouver marks America's 250th birthday with a free daylong festival at Fort Vancouver Parade Grounds on July 3, noon to 11 p.m. The celebration includes live performances, historic weapons demonstrations, a pet costume contest, and a free outdoor screening of A League of Their Own at 9:15 p.m. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-celebrates-americas-250th-birthday-with-free-daylong-fe...

The Supreme Court ruled states can ban transgender athletes from girls sports — and Lars Larson is demanding Oregon and Washington act. Twenty-seven states already have protections in place. Larson argues both states actively shield trans athletes while female competitors lose records and, in some cases, suffer injuries. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-will-oregon-and-washington-n...

Washington's June revenue forecast added $554 million to the current biennium but cut $461 million from 2027-29 projections — leaving only 2.5% budget capacity while projected inflation could reach 9.4% over two years. Ryan Frost of the Washington Policy Center argues the structural deficit is far from solved. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-washingtons-budget-outlook-darkens-with...

Clark County Treasurer Alishia Topper has scheduled a July 10 distraint auction of restaurant furniture, fixtures, and equipment from a former Shari's location at 305 SE Chkalov Drive in Vancouver. The sale proceeds only if delinquent taxes remain unpaid by 4 p.m. July 9. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/business/county-treasurer-schedules-personal-property-auction-for-july-10/ #ClarkCounty #Alish...

Rob Natelson, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Mountain States Policy Center, closes his series on the Declaration of Independence by tracing how its founding creed shaped Lincoln, the Constitution's ratification debate, and even the 1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights — while warning that misuse of the document demands civic education. https://www.clarkcountytoday.co...

Camas resident Anna Miller writes that FBI Director Kash Patel's task forces have rescued 7,500 children, captured eight of the FBI's 10 most wanted in 17 months, and are dismantling trafficking pipelines and encrypted predator rings nationwide. She also highlights NCMEC's warning about a surge in financial sextortion targeting minors. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-the-war-for-am...

Lars Larson calls Chief Justice John Roberts the deciding vote in a ruling he says allows presidential election ballots to be counted weeks after Election Day — a decision four conservative justices dissented from. Larson argues 14 states exploit the post-deadline window and points to the Los Angeles mayor's race as a recent example. His challenge to Congress: pass the SAVE Act or risk what he cal...

Washington collected $1.5 billion from capital gains taxes — roughly twice February's projection — nearly erasing an $878 million deficit. But budget writers warn the underlying fundamentals remain challenging, with a shortfall expected in the next two-year budget cycle. Gov. Ferguson says December's proposal will rely on cuts, not new taxes. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/business/capital-gains...